MAKING DRIED MILK.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18888, 22 December 1924, Page 13

MAKING DRIED MILK.

THE WAITOA FACTORY.

WONDERFUL ORGANISATION.

HOUSING OF THE EMPLOYEES.

[by telegraph.—own correspondent.]

TE AROHA. Saturday. The New Zealand Co-operative Dairy Company's dried milk factory at Waitoa has a capacity of 35,000 gallons 'of milk per day. The largest quantity of milk received for any one day this year was 29.600 gallons, on November 27. The increase over last season to November is: .Milk, 218,743 gallons; butter-fat, 87,4871b. The total quantity of milk received is 2,540,840 gallons. The average test over a whole period7four months, was 3.81 per cent. The quantity of milk powder made for the season up to November 30, is 9111b.

To bring the milk to the factory a fleet of 12 three-ton electric trucks are used, and the quantity of milk dealt with daily is about 106 tons. The milk must arrive at the factory fresh, and within four hours after milking. All repairs to the trucks are done at the company's own workshop, where a mechanical staff sufficiently large to permit of three shifts is employed. The plant includes a 300-ton hydraulic tyre press for removing and putting on tyres, a work that has to be done during the night, so that the trucks will be available for service in the day. The company has a stand-by electrical plant of 400 and 160 h.p., so that should the Horahora supply fail at any time, it can put on its load. Each truck does a 50mile run each day, and as the company has its own motor generator, the charging of a truck for its daily run does not cost more than 2s 6d.

Attached to the factory is a complete workshop at which all engineering work is done, not only for the local dried milk and butter factories, but for the company's factories at Manawaru, Waihou, Matamata, and smaller centres. The eight Babcock Wilcox boilers from which the power is derived for working the plant, which runs night and day, consumes 42 tons of coal every 24 "hours. The water supply is lifted from the Waihou River by pumps, with a capacity of 30,000 gallons per hour. The water is not only filtered, but is chemically treated to remove iron. The staff at present numbers 78, including 35 married men. The company has done everything possible to ensure the comfort and happiness of the employees. For the permanent staff 15 cottages have oeen erected and for others 70 rooms have been provided. The living rooms and dining room have been leased on terms which enable the men to get fair and even generous treatment. Near the factory are Y.M.C.A. rooms, These also were built by the company, which bears a share of the cost of their management Billiards cost 4d a game, and afternoon tea or supper, 3d. For 6d a month a good library is made available, and in the social hall there are many of the-comforts of a home. The rooms are open both in the day and in the evening.